Former leftist German terrorist denied early release from prison

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A German court ruled on Tuesday that former Red Army Faction (RAF) terrorist Birgit Hogefeld, who is serving a life sentence for a 1985 attack on a US-Airbase in Frankfurt, is not eligible for parole.

The gravity of Hogefeld's crime does not deserve any lenience, the higher regional court in Frankfurt said. Three people were killed in the RAF attack. Hogefeld was a fugitive until 1993 when she was arrested at a train station in Bad Kleinen. She was sentenced to life in prison in 1996.

German law states that after serving 15 years of a life sentence, prisoners can appeal to serve the rest of their sentence on probation. Hogefeld crossed the 15-year mark in June.

The court ruled that Hogefeld cannot make her next appeal until 2011.

The RAF was a prominent militant left-wing group that engaged in lethal terrorist attacks from the 1970s to 1993. The group was responsible for 30 deaths and countless injuries. The drive-by murder of Chief Federal Prosecutor Siegfried Buback and two passengers on April 7, 1977 was among their most high-profile crimes and it remains unclear which RAF members were involved.